I Am The Law

Like most prosecutors, Jennifer Long learned on the job. Now she helps train them. After starting her career in a DA's office, Jennifer moved into handling child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault cases. Today, she's the founder and CEO of AEquitas, a nonprofit that supports prosecutors across the country working on those same crimes. Jennifer spends her time writing grants, managing pro...

.Richard Hy is a lawyer who represents people harmed in large-scale incidents, from mass shootings to defective products to public health crises. In this episode, he explains the strategic differences between mass torts and class actions, and uses his work on the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting litigation to highlight how plaintiffs' lawyers think through which court, who to sue, and how to coordinat...

Jonathan Merel runs a mid-sized family law firm built around high-conflict divorce. In this episode, he talks about the kinds of cases his firm takes on, how he sets strategy across a team of lawyers, and what shifted when he moved from full-time litigator to running the business. He also reflects on the emotional weight of family law, why it draws certain practitioners and burns out others, and h...

Mark Purpura thought he might head to Wall Street but found his niche in law instead. Now a Delaware-based attorney, he works on the deals that keep the financial world moving, from forming trust companies to advising on complex transactions. In this episode, Mark breaks down why Delaware has become the center of corporate law, what it’s like to work on fast-moving, high-stakes deals, and how he b...

Judge Elizabeth Stong calls bankruptcy court a "second chance court," a forum where companies in financial distress and individuals buried in debt can find a path forward, even if it's rarely the one they hoped for. She serves on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York, sitting in Brooklyn. Becoming a judge was never on Judge Stong's radar — she was a happy litigation partne...

As an international student graduating from a U.S. law school, Jimmy Lai struggled to find employers willing to sponsor him. Rather than leave the U.S., he chose to build something from scratch. In this episode, Jimmy talks about how his visa barriers pushed him to co-found an immigration law firm. Jimmy reflects on failing the bar exam three times before passing, navigating the financial and lega...

Deepan Patel explains his role at the IRS. While the IRS has many types of lawyers, he focuses on business taxpayer guidance, which ensures certainty for businesses making major decisions. He describes how he got into tax, where his career might go, and trade-offs between government and private practice. Deepan is a graduate of Florida State University College of Law. This episode is hosted by Kyl...

Michelle Hanlon spent 25 years as a cross-border M&A lawyer before earning an LLM in space law and reinventing her practice around an environment that nobody quite controls but many want to. Space law is barely developed, but much of the daily work looks like any other industry: contracts, regulatory compliance, and drafting provisions that account for risks nobody else is thinking about yet....

Yuliya Flynn is a partner at a small business law firm where she acts as concierge legal counsel for small and mid-size companies — handling the kind and breadth of work an in-house lawyer would, but for multiple clients at once. In this episode, she walks through what that role looks like day to day, from drafting employment agreements and reviewing leases to fielding emergency calls about severa...

Evan Banker didn't plan to become a ski lawyer, but a chance opportunity led him to a niche practice handling collisions on the slopes. He explains how skiing accidents become legal cases, from right-of-way rules and Colorado's Skier Safety Act to evidence like witness accounts, video footage, GPS tracking data, and damage patterns on the skis themselves. Evan discusses why injured skiers hesitate...

Vineet Dubey is an environmental litigator in California who sues companies selling consumer products tainted with toxic chemicals. His primary legal vehicle is California's Proposition 65, a ballot-initiative statute requiring companies to either warn consumers about chemical exposure or remove offending products from shelves. In this episode, Vineet explains how cases come to him through environ...

Philip Selio, a solo practitioner, helps small businesses and entrepreneurs with their corporate law needs. He discusses managing all aspects of a solo shop -- and how it helps him better serve his clients who face similar challenges. Philip discusses client relationships, research processes, and social media as a tool to further build his client roster. He also shares how he thinks about his firm...

Devin Morse is a criminal defense attorney in Alaska, specializing in the state's most serious charges. In this episode, Devin explains the distinction between factual and legal guilt, her intensive intake process, and why she deliberately delays hearing a client's version of events. She also discusses what it means to review a "phone dump" — an entire digital life — and how that shapes the attorn...

Doron Gold spent roughly a decade practicing law before realizing the profession was slowly crushing him. In this episode, Doron shares the experiences that led him to leave law for good. Doron discusses his transition to therapy and his current practice helping lawyers navigate burnout, perfectionism, and career dissatisfaction. Drawing on his own experience, Doron highlights how perfectionism, e...

What does it take to bring medical devices to the market? It’s a question lawyer Randy Prebula thinks about every day. Randy is a partner at a global law firm who specializes in the regulatory world of medical devices and technology. In this episode, he shares how he transitioned from a more than 20-year career as a scientist into the world of law and how that informs his legal work. He breaks dow...

Nathania Reyes litigates commercial disputes on behalf of financial services organizations like banks. Nathania recounts her journey from uncertain law student to finding her place in civil litigation. She describes her diverse experiences, including immigration and in-house internships, a judicial clerkship, and her transition to private practice. She emphasizes the importance of work-life balanc...

Artificial intelligence has arrived in the legal profession. In this special episode, Kyle and Katya examine AI's growing role in the world of law from criminal defense to M&A and much in between. Over the past few months, they've asked every guest a simple bonus question: How has AI affected your practice? The answers offer a window into a profession in transition—curious, conflicted, and act...

Michael Kohagen structures mergers and acquisitions for clients across the deal spectrum, from family businesses selling for $5 million to headline-grabbing deals. He explains how smaller deals offer closer client relationships—often working directly with owners who lack M&A experience but know their business intimately. Michael walks through the deal process from confidentiality agreements an...

Duncan Kemp, a state government lawyer, took an unconventional path to environmental law. After working in college athletics fundraising and earning an MFA in Creative Writing, he entered law school part-time with a clear goal: protecting natural resources. But landing that environmental job proved harder than expected. Today, he manages litigation for one of Louisiana's largest landowners—from bo...

Molly Henry represents international ship owners in a practice spanning oil spill response, vessel arrests, cargo disputes, and casualties at sea. She explains how admiralty law—a conglomeration of international treaties and federal common law—treats ships as legal persons that can be arrested and sold to satisfy judgments. Molly describes her crisis management role, boarding vessels to investigat...

Mia Getlin specializes in the state-legal cannabis industry in Oregon and Washington. She shares insights into the challenges and complexities of navigating the highly-regulated cannabis sector, emphasizing the importance of trust-building with clients coming from diverse backgrounds, including those transitioning from the illicit market. Mia highlights the role of advocacy in shaping industry reg...

Shannon Struble has spent more than a decade prosecuting gang-related crimes in a county with a lot of violent gang activity. In this episode, she takes us inside the day-to-day life of a prosecutor. Shannon walks through the fast-paced charging process — where prosecutors have just 48 hours to review evidence and decide whether to file charges — negotiating pleas, and navigating the courtroom. Sh...

Families don’t call Matt Talbot when things are going well. They call when grief, money, and long-simmering tensions rise to the surface. He helps clients navigate conservatorships, financial elder abuse, and complex estate litigation. In this episode, Matt discusses the emotional weight of handling kidnapping cases across state lines, the challenge of proving financial abuse when the victim can n...

If you ask environmental protection lawyer Elise Bennett who her clients are, she might joke that some days it’s the frosted flatwood salamander, the gopher tortoise, or Florida panther – but officially, it’s the Center for Biological Diversity. Elise is the Center's Florida and Caribbean Director, leading efforts to protect endangered species and wild places through legal action and advocacy. Whe...

Whitney Lallas is a family law attorney in Maine. She shares her journey into family law, influenced by her interest in psychology and math. The emotional and financial aspects of her work figure prominently into what she likes about her work, as well as what's challenging. She provides insights into handling prenuptial agreements, child-related matters, and dealing with hidden assets. Whitney als...